Over the past few weeks as we've watched the stock market slide up and down and watched Congress debate, we've been reminded that just as in government, conflict is an inherent part of business.
As you face conflicts at the office, how do you handle them? How do you approach a discussion of differing points of view? Especially when the stakes are high.
Managing conflict in business has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Instead of the standard I win, you lose approach; the newer win-win strategy is gaining wider acceptance.
Since the business classic Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury was published more than 20 years ago, we've come a long way toward understanding constructive ways to find consensus.
Just as any book on consensus suggests, I endorse the finding the WII-FM (What's In It For Me) for the otherperson as the successful strategy to convince, sell or negotiate.
WII-FM strategy worksDo you employ this strategy? While your instinct may be to first think about what you want, try taking a more collaborative approach by asking yourself: Where do we think alike? Where could we agree? Can I identify with his or her WII-FM?
In Nashville we're fortunate to have one of the top schools in conflict management: the Institute for Conflict Management at Lipscomb University.
Smart businessmen and women realize that there is a specific skill set to be learned to manage conflict daily. What was once called mediation with its undertone of adversarial legal positioning has expanded to include the win-win strategy for business because it saves time, money and, most important, relationships.
Read or reread Getting to Yes and all the other resources that address consensus building rather than adversarial positioning. Remember, in addition to your point of view, there is always a WII-FM for the other person.
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